Pocket-Lint have reviewed the Canon Digital IXUS 50, a 5 megapixel digital camera with stainless steel finish that is Canon’s smallest ever 5.0 Megapixel optical zoom camera (also known as the SD400).

“Playing about with colours is something most of us do after we have transferred digital pictures from camera to computer. Now you can do it on your camera before you take a picture. Canon’s IXUS 50 introduces a new mode called My Colors. It allows you to change the colours in the picture you are about to take. The balance between red, green and blue can be altered, skin can be given pale or tanned effects and one colour can be highlighted with everything else rendered in black and white. Colours can also be swapped.”

Website: Pocket-Lint - Canon Digital IXUS 50 Review

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TrustedReviews have published a review of the HP Photosmart M417, a 5 megapixel digicam with a 1.8 inch LCD screen and 3x optical zoom lens.

“But it’s picture quality, always the final criterion for any digital camera, that is unfortunately the M417’s Achilles heel. Although the results from the Adaptive Lighting technology are impressive from a technical standpoint, the actual images can become very noisy as the camera increases the gain on the CCD to catch shadow details. Other images shot without the Adaptive Lighting also show signs of excessive noise reduction, with blurred out fine detail and some distinctly odd colour artifacts. Images containing bright highlights also have an unacceptable level of purple fringing.”

Website: TrustedReviews - HP Photosmart M417 Review

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EDGE Tech Corp Press Release

EDGE Tech Corp, a leading supplier of DRAM and Flash memory upgrades, portable computing products, storage devices, and other experience-enhancing technology solutions announced today a significant expansion to its digital media line to include two reduced-sized formats as well as a professional series of flash memory cards. The new additions include ProShot SD Memory Cards, RS-MMC (reduced size MMC) and miniSD.

“The digital photography craze is at an all time high. People are investing more to purchase higher quality cameras, and they want higher quality flash memory cards in order to realize maximum performance,” said Simon Crossley, VP of Sales for EDGE.

Amicus Press Release

Amicus on Job Cuts at Kodak, Harrow

LONDON, June 7/PRNewswire/—It’s just been announced that 180 jobs are going at Kodak in Harrow. 130 of these jobs are being offshored to Mexico. This news follows the loss of 250 at Harrow in October last year and the closure of the Kodak plant in North Nottinghamshire with the loss of 350 jobs which is happening next week.

Amicus officer, Joe McGowan, said:
“This is more devastating news for Kodak staff at Harrow who are facing the loss of almost 500 jobs in less than a year. We want an urgent meeting with Kodak and reassurance that the Harrow plant has a future.”

Source: Amicus

Sigma 70-300mm F4-5.6 APO DG MACRO lens is announced. The Sigma 70-300mm F4-5.6 APO DG MACRO lens offers macro photography with a 1:2 maximum magnification at the 300 mm focal length. The Sigma 70-300mm APO Macro lens is optimized for digital SLR cameras. The Sigma 70-300mm F4-5.6 APO DG MACRO lens is available for Sigma, Canon, Nikon-D, Pentax and Konica/Minolta cameras and costs £199.99.

Sigma UK Press Release

70-300mm F4-5.6 APO DG MACRO

Telephoto zoom lens with tele-macro function optimised for digital SLR cameras.

l New design and multi layer lens coating minimise flare and ghost.
l A Macro Switch is incorporated for ease of for conversion to macro photography with a 1:2 maximum magnification.
l Equipped with three SLD (Special Low Dispersion) glass elements for excellent correction of chromatic aberration throughout the entire zoom range.

The Sigma Corporation is pleased to announce the launch of the new 70-300mm APO F4-5.6 DG Macro lens.

Sigma 70-300mm F4-5.6 DG MACRO lens is announced. The Sigma 70-300mm F4-5.6 DG MACRO lens offers macro photography with a 1:2 maximum magnification at the 300 mm focal length. The Sigma 70-300mm Macro lens is optimized for digital SLR cameras. The Sigma 70-300mm F4-5.6 DG MACRO lens is available for Sigma, Canon, Nikon-D, Pentax and Konica/Minolta cameras and costs £149.99.

Sigma UK Press Release

Optimized for use with digital SLR cameras and capable of macro photography with a 1:2 maximum magnification.

l New multi layer lens coating minimises flare and ghost, a common problem with Digital SLR cameras.
l Engaging the Macro Switch makes the lens capable of macro photography with a 1:2 maximum magnification.
l Special Low Dispersion (SLD) glass is used for compensation of chromatic aberration throughout the entire zoom range.

The Sigma Corporation is pleased to announce the launch of the new 70-300mm F4-5.6 DG Macro lens.

SmartMarketing Press Release

Russian digital photo (DP) market amount of 530,000 units in Q1 2005 say SmartMarketing

Moscow, Russia, - According to SmartMarketing Research Group (www.smartmarketing.ru) analysis the total sales volume of digital cameras of all types and categories on Russian market in the first quarter of 2005 amounted to 530.000 units. The investigation covered the main fractions of digital cameras for the mentioned period. The main information source is the in-house data of monitoring of digital cameras market for the considered time term and a range of detailed interviews with market participants.

PhoTags Inc. Press Release

PhoTags Inc. Demonstrates Active Images(tm), The JPEG Multimedia Messaging System at Future Image Mobile Imaging Summit

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands - June 7 , 2005 - PhoTags Inc., The Portable Infoimaging Company, today demonstrated its new patent-pending Active Images(tm) technology. Active Images turns any JPEG file into a self-contained multimedia messaging system, allowing users to send text messages, music, sound files, forms and more - all on a single JPEG file. The demonstration is taking place at the Future Image Mobile Imaging Summit in Amsterdam.

The 52nd PhotographyBLOG Portfolio has been submitted by Jeff Alu.

“I’m a black and white digital photographer, and I love taking photos in the deserts of Southern California, although I also love venturing into the cities as well. I’m currently using a Minolta Dimage C600, but have also used the DImage F300, and a Kodak DC280. I do all of my processing in Photoshop, mostly using the dodge and burn brush, and also some unsharp mask.”

Website: Portfolios: Jeff Alu

Multi Union Press Release

Multi Union is pleased to announce that it has agreed to a final settlement with the Seiko Epson Group of the two US Court Actions filed in the District Court of Oregon in 2001 and 2005.  In both actions, Seiko Epson alleges infringement of Epson’s US patents by certain Multi Union inkjet cartridges on sale within the United States.

The terms of settlement prohibit Multi Union’s continued sale of certain Epson compatible inkjet cartridges in the United States.  The settlement contains no restriction whatsoever on the sales outside the United States.

INTRO 2020 Press Release

ZIGVIEW - the world’s first Digital Angle Finder makes low and high level photography easy with its unique rotating LCD monitor.

ZIGVIEW simply attaches to the eyepiece of your SLR camera where the viewfinder image is captured by a CMOS sensor built into the Zigview and relayed in real time to a 1.9 inch/TFT colour display for easy viewing at any angle.

The Zigview is particularly useful for low angle photography where you would struggle to see through the viewfinder especially with Macro work, or high angle situations such as press work where it is impossible to see the subject when taking pictures over crowds etc. Zigview makes it easy to see the subject in both these situations and many more, without any difficulty.

PCMagazine have published their review of the new Nikon D70s DSLR camera.

“We love the D70s’ feel and design as much as we did the D70’s, and for those with larger hands, these two models may be preferable to the lighter Canon Rebel XT. The Rebel XT, however, ups the capacity ante to 8MP, which gives you the ability to print very large images, still besting the 6.1MP Nikons. The Canon kit (lens and body) is also cheaper than the D70s kit, although the Nikon lens is longer.”

Website: PCMagazine - Nikon D70s Review

Website: Read my Nikon D70s Review

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DIWA member Steves Digicams have reviewed the new Canon SELPHY CP600 compact photo printer.

“The CP600 can be easily taken along with you to your next party, family get together or anywhere thanks to its battery pack. It produces brilliant 4 x 6-inch prints in just 63 seconds, 4 x 8-inch prints in 106 seconds or credit card size prints in 40 seconds. Setup and use is easy and simple - there are only a few print-time options that need to be selected such as bordered or borderless or print a date stamp. If you can work your digital camera, you can work this printer.”

Website: Steves Digicams - Canon SELPHY CP600 Review

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Photoxels have posted a great interview with Kent Hatton, Sr. Director, Marketing Strategy and Communications for Fujifilm.

“Has Fujifilm abandoned interpolation altogether in their image sensors?

KH: With higher-resolution cameras now becoming part of the mainstream (given that 4 and 5 megapixels will be the best sellers this year), it does not make sense to continue to lead consumers down the ‘Megapixel-path’. If we interpolated the file produced by our 6 MP 5th Generation Super CCD to 12 MP, then that would be more than virtually all amateur photographers need. In fact, there are so many other features digital camera owners require (and should demand) that Megapixels no longer need to be the central point to fuss-over.”

Website: Photoxels - Interview with Kent Hatton, Fujifilm

DPReview have published a short, favourable review of Lexar’s LockTight memory card technology, which keeps images secure when used with the the new Nikon D2X digital SLR camera.

“As you may expect attempting to use a protected card in another camera displays either a ‘Not Formatted’ or ‘Card Error’ warning. Attempting to format the card in a different camera (a Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II) fails with a ‘Cannot Format’ error, returning the card back to its assigned D2X showed that no images had been lost or damaged. Attempting to read the card in another card reader or on another computer using the Lexar card reader also failed to work, Windows didn’t even register that a card had been inserted.”

Website: DPReview - Lexar LockTight tested

Website: Understanding Lexar LockTight

Photobird.com have just reviewed the SanDisk ImageMate 8 in 1 USB 2.0 Card Reader/Writer.

“If you have a digital camera or other device that uses memory cards, you should seriously consider using the SanDisk ImageMate 8 in 1 USB 2.0 Card Reader/Writer. The SanDisk ImageMate 8 in 1 USB 2.0 Card Reader/Writer allows you to use your memory cards like “digital film”. The SanDisk ImageMate 8 in 1 USB 2.0 Card Reader/Writer is more convenient, less hassle, and easier to use than using the USB cable that came with your digital camera to transfer photos to your computer. In most of our tests, when transferring photos from memory cards, it was also much faster. At about $20, it’s practically a steal.”

Website: Photobird.com - SanDisk ImageMate 8 in 1 Card Reader

The Spanish website Quesabesde have reviewed the Ricoh R2, a 5 megapixel digital camera with a 4.8x optical zoom and 2.5 inch LCD screen. The Ricoh Caplio R2 is less than 26mm thick and has a battery life of around 500 shots.

Website: Quesabesde - Ricoh R2 Review

The finance website Bloomberg are reporting that Olympus, which announced their first ever annual loss a month ago, are planning to cut the cost of producing digital cameras by over 30%. This is in addition to 4,000 job losses (saving about 3 billion yen), mainly in China.

“Olympus expects its imaging division to post an operating profit of 2 billion yen in the second half of this year, following a 13 billion yen operating loss in the six months ending Sept. 30. Olympus was overtaken last year by Eastman Kodak Co. as the third- biggest seller of digital cameras in a market led by Canon Inc. and Sony Corp. It had an 11.2 percent global market share, according to IDC.

“We need to maintain at least a 10 percent share to secure gains,’’ said Kikukawa, adding that the company will continue to buy about 60 percent of its digital cameras from other companies.”

Website: Bloomberg.com - Olympus to Cut Digital Camera Costs to Recover Profit

DIWA member and German website Digitalkamera.de have published the first online review of the Canon PowerShot S2 IS, a 5 megapixel digital camera with a 12x optical zoom equivalent to 36–432mm on a 35mm camera.

Website: Digitalkamera.de - Canon PowerShot S2 IS Review

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The Epson Stylus Photo RX620 has just been reviewed by Pocket-Lint. Tthe Stylus Photo RX620 is an all-in-one inkjet multifunction printer featuring a 2400X4800 dpi flatbed scanner, 2.5 inch preview monitor, integrated memory card reader, 6 individual ink cartridges and up 5760dpi print resolution.

“On the positive side, the high quality prints I was expecting were duly delivered via the RX620’s six separate dye-based inks (cyan, magenta, yellow, black, light cyan and light magenta) that are deemed to last up to 25-years under the correct conditions before fading starts to affect them. A maximum optimized output of up to 1440x5760dpi on the right media provides bags of detail and thanks to a tiny, 3-picolitre ink droplet size, no visible dot ‘grain’ is visible in the prints. The RX620 is however quite slow, particularly in the to quality Photo RPM mode where a borderless A4 image took just under 10-minutes to print.”

Website: Pocket-Lint - Epson Stylus Photo RX620 Review

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